Office of the Secretary

For Immediate Release: November 6, 1998

Potomac River Selected to be Part of President's
American Heritage Rivers Initiative

The Potomac River is one of 14 rivers designated

Congressional and federal representatives joined the Friends of the Potomac today at Mount Vernon, the historic site where George Washington lived, to celebrate the designation of the Potomac as part of President Clinton's American Heritage Rivers Initiative.

A ceremony commemorating the designation of the Potomac River was originally scheduled for July 30, but was postponed until November 6, because of the tragic shooting of two Capitol Hill Police officers. On hand for today's celebration to mark the historic event was a host of supporters, local Congressional delegations, and government representatives from Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and federal agencies. The Initiative, first announced by President Clinton during his 1997 State of the Union Address, offers special recognition to outstanding stretches of American rivers by selecting them to be American Heritage Rivers. The Initiative helps local communities to restore and protect their rivers and river fronts. Designated rivers receive federal assistance in the form of refocused programs, grants, and technical assistance from existing federal resources.

Last summer, President Clinton and Vice-President Gore traveled to the New River in North Carolina, to announced the names of the 14 rivers designated as part of the American Heritage Rivers Initiative on July 30, 1998, while Secretary Babbitt took part in a ceremony in Springfield, Massachusetts, naming the Connecticut River.

"Rivers nourish our soils, carry our commerce, sustain our wildlife, and quench our thirst," Vice-President Gore said. "Working together as partners we can clean up America's rivers, create new jobs, and strengthen the communities along them for generations to come."

"It's Initiatives like this that moves our communities from mere preservation and protection, to watershed restoration," said Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. "As a community comes together to restore the river that runs through it, that river, in turn, restores the community itself."

The Potomac River is one of 14 rivers designated out of 126 nominations from 46 states that competed for the Presidential designation. The American Heritage Rivers Initiative focuses on three main objectives: economic revitalization, natural resources and environmental protection, and historic and cultural preservation. The Initiative helps communities of designated waterways to revitalize their rivers, river banks along them, historic buildings, natural habitats, and help celebrate their history and heritage.

National Park Service Director Robert Stanton, representing the President at today's ceremony, applauded the determination and support of The Friends of the Potomac, the basin-wide coalition that nominated the river. "Our waterways connect our cities together and help to restore our rich heritage," said Stanton. "Efforts such as this help safeguard our national treasures for future generations to enjoy."

The Friends of the Potomac will serve as liaison with federal agencies and provide coordination as local communities and organizations implement projects designed to enhance and restore the river. For each river designated under the Initiative, a federal employee will be assigned as "river navigator," to help communities identify federal programs and resources to help carry out their projects.

The Interior Department's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) used the designation celebration ceremony to announce a $5.9 million FY 1999 grant for the Appalachian Clean Streams Initiative that supports the President's American Heritage Rivers Initiative. Under the grant, OSM will provide $150,000 to the Maryland Bureau of Mines to help control pollution from abandoned coal mines along the North Branch of the Potomac River.

Designations

The designated rivers are:

Potomac River --the river basin extends over 14,670 square miles in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. It includes 383 miles of the Potomac and major tributaries such as the Shenandoah, the South Branch, the North Branch, the Cacapon, Conococheague Creek, the Monocacy River, and the Anacostia River.

New River --The 250-mile long New River, which also flows through parts of Virginia and West Virginia, has witnessed residential and commercial developments along segments of its route, and supporters of the designation are looking for federal help to integrate and guide further development.

Connecticut River -- Interior Secretary Babbitt joined officials from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont on July 30 to officially designate and celebrate the selection of the Connecticut, New England's longest river, is 410 miles long with a diverse watershed encompassing 11,260 square miles.

Cuyahoga River -- the river supports one of the most densely populated and industrialized urban areas in America. In 1969, the Cuyahoga River became a stark symbol of water pollution when oil slicks on the river caught fire. The burning river became a rallying point for passage of the Clean Water Act.

Detroit River -- the 32 mile-long river links St. Claire, Michigan to Lake Erie and is part of the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway.

Hanalei River -- located on the Island of Kauai, drains a 24 square mile watershed as it descends 16 miles to sea-level, terminating in a brackish estuary which is a nursery habitat for a myriad of commercially important marine species.

Hudson River -- the river moves through 19 counties from its source at Lake Tear of the Clouds to the Verrazano Narrows in New York Harbor, 315 miles to the south.

St. Johns Rivers -- the Florida river is 310 miles long and drains approximately 8,700 square miles. It evolves into a series of connected lakes, and flows north past Orlando to enter the Atlantic Ocean at Jacksonville.

The Lower Mississippi River --including the stretch through Memphis, Tennessee and Baton Rouge to New Orleans.

Upper Mississippi River -- from Bemidji, Minnesota to St. Louis.

Rio Grande River -- separating Texas from Mexico, the designation covers the stretch that includes the cities of El Paso, Laredo, Brownsville, as well as Big Ben National Park, Amistad National Recreation Area, Falcon Reservoir, and Laguna Atascosa.

Upper Susquehanna and Lackawanna Rivers - of northeastern Pennsylvania form two of the most scenic valleys in the country. During the 1800's, the region produced large amounts of coal that helped fuel the country's emergence as an industrial power.

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  U.S. Department of the Interior